Study: Phone Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Works as Well as In-Person Therapy

After sifting through the data from a huge study, English researchers say phone-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) works as well as in person therapy for people with mild to moderate depression and anxiety.

Fast acting cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a proven
effective intervention for people suffering from depression and anxiety.

But though it works well, therapy sessions can be expensive,
people in rural areas may find it hard to find a trained practitioner and
people with mobility impairments may have difficulty traveling to an office for
therapy sessions.

Given these barriers to access, researchers in England
wondered if CBT sessions over the phone might be a reasonable, and cheaper,
alternative to face to face therapy sessions.

The Experiment

To find out, researchers looked at a naturalistic population
sample of over 39 000 people in England who had been referred to get depression
or anxiety treatment. Subjects from this sample pool were assessed and then randomly
assigned to receive either in-person CBT or CBT delivered over the phone.

Before each CBT session, subjects were asked to fill out a questionnaire
rating their anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Neither the therapists nor the subjects knew of their participation
in a research study.

The Results

Both phone based CBT and in-person CBT helped subjects
improve their social functioning and decreased their symptoms of anxiety and or
depression.

Although in-person CBT proved more effective for people with
severe symptoms, people with mild to moderate depression and anxiety did equally
well in both treatment groups.

Discussion

Commenting on the implications of their research, the study
authors note, “For most, CBT delivered over-the-telephone is a cost-effective
and probably convenient option...In a global context, the potential is enormous
for spreading access to effective psychological therapies to the millions of
people affected by depression and anxiety. As the availability of mobile phone
technology in low and middle income countries grows, people now have the
potential of having a therapist in their pocket, transcending traditional
barriers to the receipt of effective treatments.”

Helpful Reading:

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Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz and his Four Step Program - through mindful awareness you can learn to overcome internet, gambling and sex cravings as you retrain your brain to stop sending such urgent messages of need.